The present invention relates to a combination chair and upper body training exercise device which has exercise apparatus that may be folded and stored so that the unit converts to the appearance of a side chair rather than an exerciser. The chair is provided with a padded cushion and back and can be upholstered in suitable fabric for matching a desired decor.
While the prior art shows various types of exercising devices, including weight machines that use benches, cables and pulleys and loading devices, none comprise a device which is a conventional straight back chair in appearance that can be easily converted to provide exercise facilities for exercising the upper body.
Upper body exercising units, such as rowing machines and simulated swimming motion machines, are widely used. Storage is a problem, particularly in smaller homes. A typical rowing machine is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,011, which uses a flywheel as a resistance or loading member and has arms or oars that drive sprockets by the rotating motion of the oars, and are connected to the flywheel to provided a constant resistance force.
A variable resistance exercising device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,012, which uses a crank type, hand-operated upper body exercise drive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,099 shows a chair unit that provides for various exercise activities, and includes a variable resistance force generating device. It employs a flywheel driven by centrifugal clutches.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,971 shows an exercising device in which a person exercising is seated, and the number of stacked weights are provided for loading.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,098 describes a machine that has a saddle type seat with a number of levers and actuators positioned around the seat for exercising.
A leg exerciser is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,411 which includes a bench and seat on which the person doing the exercises is positioned. The amount of force being exerted can be changed as desired.
Additional patents which illustrate various loading devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,102 which shows an arm exerciser that has an adjustable friction resistance device. A swimming motion exerciser that provides for total body exercise is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,791. A knee exerciser that is operated by a seated person is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,860.
However, none of these patents illustrate a device which is a typical side chair, which can easily be converted into an exercise unit by unfolding arms which support cords or lines that can be pulled by a person seated in the chair. The loads are variable, as a function of the speed of movement of the hand grips and lines.
A wide variety of weight lifting machines are on the market, which use benches for seating and various cable arrangements for lifting weights. These generally have large frames and are not convertible to a side chair.
Various types of pull exercises, and pivoting arm exercises have been advanced. For example, MGI Strength Fitness, Inc. makes and sells an isokinetic exerciser called the MINI-GYM, which has pull ropes that load in proportion to the amount of force being applied. Such devices can be either wall or floor mounted, or mounted on fixed frames for providing the resistance force for exercise. These devices are gymnasium type devices, and have the appearance of conventional exercisers. Flexible lines or ropes are used in various frame assemblies for these isokinetic exercisers.